Former Judge John “Jack” E. Bardgett Sr. , who served on the state Supreme Court for 12 years, from 1970 to 1982, died Saturday at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He was 81.

Judge Bardgett had been a lawyer for more than 50 years, most recently in private practice as one of the founding partners of the law firm of Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch, which had offices in Jefferson City and Clayton.

His obituary wryly observes that Judget Bardgett continued to practice law “at the time of his death unless it was a sunny day when he could be found on a golf course or fishing at the Lake of the Ozarks.”

While chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, he was seen as one of the court’s more liberal members. He also had a public presence. For example, a 1981 story in the Post-Dispatch relates how Judge Bardgett — while chief justice — gave “a behind-the-scenes look at the court” during a public speech at St. Jerome’s Church in Bellefontaine Neighbors.

Among other things, that speech included observations on “the functions of his court, what happens within the judicial system, what the media reports and why we have courts.”
He then took questions from the audience.

A native of St. Louis, Judge Bardgett was a graduate of St. Louis University High School, and then went on to obtain degrees from St. Louis University’s College of Commerce and Finance, and St. Louis University School of Law.

As his obituary notes:

Before his appointment as a circuit judge in September 1968, he was a member
of the law firm of Haley, Bardgett & Williamson, St. Louis and was City
Attorney for the town of Normandy in St. Louis County.
John Bardgett was a member of the Board of Governors of the Missouri Bar,
1967-68; president, Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, 1968-69;
member American Bar Association, American Judicature Society, Missouri Bar
Association, Metropolitan Bar Association of St. Louis, Lawyers’
Association of St. Louis, St. Louis County Bar Association, Cole County Bar
Association and member of the Institute of Judicial Administration. He was
the recipient of the Alumni Merit Award of St. Louis University in
recognition of distinguished achievement in legal and judicial competence

.
Judge Bardgett served in the United States Navy during World War II.

Then-Gov. Warren Hearnes named Bardgett as a St.
Louis County Circuit Judge, Division 12, in September 1968. He served until April 1970, when Hearnes appointed Judge Bardgett to the Missouri Supreme Court. Judge Bardgett was Chief Justice from 1979 to 1981, retired from the state Supreme Court in 1982 and returned to private practice.

Visitation will be Tuesday, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Houser-Millard Funeral Home,
2613 West Main, in Jefferson City.

A prayer service will be at 7:30 p.m.

The funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, 2305 West Main Street in Jefferson City.

More details will be online Sunday and in Monday’s print version of the Post-Dispatch.